Environment Canada has confirmed the a rare tornado in Northern Canada near Fort Smith, Northwest Territories from Sunday, June 2nd.
The agency states that they received reports with video and picture evidence of funnel clouds and flying debris with damage reports from inside the town of Fort Smith. Damage reports include 'downed trees, several homes that lost roofing material, and at least two shed that were overturned or displaced.'
Environment Canada originally classified the tornado as 'probable.' With further information from the Northern Tornadoes Project, a tornado research project from Western University and Environment Canada, they have confirmed the tornado.
Environment Canada has classified the twister as a landspout tornado.
Landspout tornadoes can form from almost any thunderstorm. A landspout tornado is caused by a thunderstorm with weak rotation near the ground that is stretched by the development/growing of showers or more commonly, thunderstorms. This weak movement of rotation is enough to cause a landspout tornado. Landspout tornadoes are often more weak than a supercell tornado.
Because of the quick nature of landspout tornadoes and the timing of when they often form, they are more difficult to catch on radar compared to supercell tornadoes.
The Northwest Territories and Northern Canada north of 60 degrees has only seen a previous three tornadoes, making this tornado the fourth.